


The Tale of Lady Hinata and Miso the Dog

by theChromiumFail



Series: Fairytales For Your Local Ninja [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-10-05 08:47:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10302776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theChromiumFail/pseuds/theChromiumFail
Summary: Lady Hinata, daughter of the elf king Hiashi, makes a strange new friend.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If you remember this story- I sure hope you don't the first version was terrible- it is a rewrite of Don't Judge a Book, which I wrote like two years ago. Yup, I have not abandoned this AU, I love it too much.
> 
> That being said, I'm also going to be rewriting (and finishing) In The Dark, then adding to the series later, I hope you enjoy it!  
> Feel free to leave comments!

Hiashi Hyuga is the proud ruler of the western elven kingdom, and head of the royal family. The royal estate stands tall at the peak of the hills on which its kingdom sits. The estate itself resembles a small town, with the grand palace, lodges, library, delegate halls, and training grounds all encompassed within its borders. From the towns and markets below citizens and tourists alike could marvel at the sight of the high castle stretching above the trees. Its greatest attributes, however, are the estate gardens. The gardens surround all but the front of the grounds, and run all the way down the back hills behind the palace courtyard. 

A maze of flowers, grasses, bushes and trees surrounded by hedges, it would be easy for anyone outside of the elven family to get lost even on the best of days. It is a pride of the royal family, and Lady Hinata’s favorite place to spend her time. 

When not occupied by her studies, training, or etiquette classes, the young elf princess is sure to be found wandering the gardens, morning or night. Sometimes with her mother and the maid hands to help tend to all the plants, usually alone. Now was one of those times. 

Stepping out into the fresh open air, followed by her attendant Ko, Lady Hinata makes her way across the back courtyard. The guards posted in the area all bow as she walks pass, receiving nods from both the little girl and Ko in return. It’s midday, the high sun and medium length shadows signifying the end of the mid-day meal and the coming evening- the perfect time to be outside, and to be in the gardens. 

“Any particular place you wish to go, my Lady?” Ko stops and addresses her as they reach the entrance to the gardens, bordered by momo trees and hedge tigers. It doesn’t take her long to think. 

“Down by the pond, with the spider lilies.” 

“Again? You don’t want to try somewhere else this time? Perhaps the shibazakura fields?” 

Hinata shakes her head, her mind already made up. Smiling, Ko grabs her hand and begins walking in the direction of the pond. They walk in silence most of the way there, until Hinata summons the courage to say what she has been thinking since they left the castle. 

“I-I can walk there alone-by myself.” She manages to get the entire sentence out. 

Ko laughs gently. “You’re too young to walk around by yourself!” 

“I know how to get there and back,” Hinata protests. 

“I’m sure you do, but that doesn’t mean you can walk there alone. That would be dangerous. Come now.” 

Ko reaffirms his grip on the young elf’s hand, and they continue to walk. Hinata no longer has any idea how to argue against her attendant’s presence. She hopes when they reach the pond Ko will be too distracted with a book or something else to notice her. 

To Hinata’s luck, the older elf does take out a book once they reach the body of water. He sits at a vantage point, just in case, but does not follow Hinata as she makes her way to the other side of the water. She’s careful not to step too close to the soft ground, made muddy by the water. Once she had ruined a dress stepping in the mud. Her father had been furious, and her mother even more so since she quickly had to make her something new to wear to an event that evening. 

She quickly finds the spot she was looking for- a trodden path among the grass flowers and foxtails. Turning back, she makes sure that Ko is still preoccupied with his book before turning back to the plants. She waits. She’d always been partial to the pond, as it was the first place her mom took her in the garden that was a significant distance away from the castle. Now, she returns whenever she can to have a few minutes with her new friend, who she affectionately names Miso. It doesn’t take long for her to hear a rustling in the tall grass. It’s not a bird or any small mammal she can think of. It’s aura is much different- more familiar. 

Miso is much easier for Hinata to detect now, and not just because of how many times they’ve met. Her training has paid off, and her sensing abilities have gotten much better. Thus, it’s no surprise when the dog finally appears from out of the foliage. He is, however, surprised to see her, and even more so to see Ko sitting on the other side of the river. Hinata is sure Ko can sense him, if she could, but still would much rather him not bother her friend. Miso is shy around people, she’s learned. 

“Are you hungry?” She asks the dog. His eyes light up when she slips a piece of roast duck from her sleeve that she saved from her last meal. Miso wastes no time eating it, or the following pieces Hinata lays out for him.

The sky begins to develop shades of  yellow and orange as the shadows on the ground grow longer. Unfortunately, it is almost time for Ko to lead them back to the castle and to the dining hall for the evening meal. “I wish I could take you with me, Miso.”

Hinata feels the dog nudge her hand, and for a second she considers whether or not that actually would be possible. Probably not with Ko right beside her. She walks back to the other side of the pond, leaving Miso to retreat back into the grass, and she walks with Ko back towards the castle.


	2. Chapter 2

Hinata continues to think about her new friend through the evening meal. She lets her mother and Ko respond to King Hiashi’s questions about her progress in studies and trainings. Her cousin, Neji, seated across from her, gives her a look that is both curious and chastising, which she pretends not to notice. She knows avoiding her father’s questions is taken as disrespect, but it’s hardly a new occurrence. Her mother will likely change the conversation to avoid a more awkward situation. 

The last time she’d asked to have some kind of companion, even a bird, her parents had both said no. To her five year old self, that had been the end of the world. Ko had been there to sooth her tears, and Neji was kind enough to make her paper animals in an attempt to cheer her up. It had worked, then, but they hardly did anything now that she was older, albeit only by four years. It was easy to get bored or lonely when she was by herself (minus Ko). Having a companion would give her someone else to hang out with besides the palace attendants and her baby sister Hanabi. Neji was hard to get a hold of sometimes, and the children of other royal families she met from time to time weren’t always the nicest people. 

The evening light filtering in through the towering windows were enough to light the hallway on the way to her room as the groundskeepers outside began to light the night lanterns. To female attendants walked on either side of her, opening the doors to her bedroom when they arrived. She turned to nod to them both, one after the other, and they bowed, closing the doors after she passed the threshold. 

She changed into her nightclothes, which were laid out on the bed for her, and took a seat by the windowsill to watch as the dark villages below began to shine with the lighting of lanterns and candles. Sometimes being a princess has its advantages, Hinata thought, admiring the view. Her legs began to tire as the lights reached the marketplace, and she stretched them out, her feet not even close to reaching the other end of the window. 

“Ouch!” 

A sharp prick hit both of her feet, the pain gone as quickly as it came, and she looked across the window sill to see the colorful paper animals there. A few had fallen to the floor, which she bent down to pick up. 

As she replaced them each in their neat rows, her mind thought back to Miso, and she wondered if her parents would refuse her a pet now. She was older now, she could handle it. A knock on her door distracted her from her thoughts. 

“H-hello?” She called out. There was no answer. 

Slowly, she tiptoed to the door, moving her hair from her ear to listen through the crack. “Neji, is that you?” If it was, she couldn’t imagine why he wouldn’t have responded, or anyone else for that matter. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, trying to slow her quickening heartbeat and concentrate on the hallway on the other side of the door. The two attendants that walked her to her room were no longer there. In fact, no one from the palace staff was in the hallway. The only thing she did sense was a single, small figure standing right in front of her door. 

The young elf would probably have been more scared if she didn’t already know who it was. 

“Miso!” She quietly shouted as she threw open her doors. The brown and tan dog stood up, wagging it’s tail when its eyes fell on her. “How did you get in here all by yourself?” Quickly, she ushered him inside, closing the doors behind her. 

Turning around, Hinata followed Miso as he sniffed and pawed around her room. “Uh, n-no one saw you come in did they? I wouldn’t want them to take you away.” To her surprise, Miso looks her in her eyes and shakes his head, before going to look out the window. “You can understand me?” If she was being honest with herself, there were weirder things in this world, some of which she’d already seen. She joins the brown and tan furred creature by the window. The villages below are all lit, appearing almost as a mirror image to the sky. “Did you live down there?” There’s a pause before she corrects herself. “Do-I mean...do you live down there?” 

This time, Miso nods. 

“It must be nice, down there,” she muses. “You’ll have to show me how you get through the garden, I can never shake the guar-” 

A knock at the door startles them both. 

“Lady Hinata!” 

“Eh, that’s not good,” Hinata mumbles under her breath. She searches her room for some place to hide Miso. The dog is already hiding under the bed, but she motions for him to follow her instead. “One second!” 

She stuffs him into her closet before running back to the door, fixing her sleeping gown and her hair before opening it just enough to see. “Hi Neji,” she says through the crack. 

Her cousin looks her up and down suspiciously, “Hi.” His gaze is unflinching, but Hinata can’t hold it as the silence grows. “Are you going to let me in?” 

She could say no. She knows he would go away without protest, but that would be rude. She opens the door to fit him in, and hopes that whatever he has to say will distract him enough so he doesn’t notice Miso. 

“Was there something you needed?” 

“I just came to check on you. I saw the guards that were supposed to be here walking down the corridors and wondered why they weren’t here. Are you alright?” 

“I’m fine…” He waits, as if he expects her to say something else, before opening the doors to leave. 

“Good night, Lady Hinata. I will speak Ko about the guards.” He turns back around again, and Hinata hopes that Miso didn’t give himself away. “It’s getting late, are you not going to bed yet?” 

“I-I was in bed,” she mumbles, “before you came.” 

Neji’s eyes narrow, his hand letting go of the door. “Your bed is still made,” he says. For a second Hinata wonders why Neji and her dad don’t get along. They’re so much alike. Instead of trying to think of reasons, she focuses on trying to make up an excuse for Neji’s observation. 

“I feel asleep on the covers.” 

“Right,” he says, and she knows he didn’t believe a single word. “What is that?” 

“What is what?” She asks, scanning her room. 

“That thing in your closet.” 

They both turn to look at her closet door, which is cracked. Upon first glance, nothing would seem out of the ordinary, but Hinata could now hear a rustling coming from inside. 

“You can come out now, Miso. He knows you’re in there.” 

She doesn’t know why she thought hiding him would work. Neji’s senses were always better than hers. After some fumbling, the dog rolls out from inside the closet, shaking of a garment wrapped around his foot and trotting up to the two elves. 

“You named him?!?” Neji half-shouts. 

“Shhh, please Neji, someone might hear you.” 

He pinched the bridge of his nose as if he has a headache, but he does lower his voice. “Why is it in here and where did it even come from?” 

“It’s a dog, Neji, and his name is Miso. I found him in the gardens.” She’s glad he doesn’t comment on her mumbling like he usually does, she wouldn’t be able to handle two scoldings at once. 

“That thing is not a dog, and I’m pretty sure Miso is not it’s name.” 

“Not a dog? But…” She turns to look at Miso, who’s sitting beside the bed and looking like a fox in a trap. 

“You couldn’t notice?” Neji walks up, grabbing the not-dog by the ear and dragging it over. “What are you really?” he demands. 

“Neji, don’t hurt it, it’s still a living being!” 

“That snuck into the castle, you don’t know what it wants. Stay back!” His grip tightens on the ear. “Answer me!” 

“Ow, ok! Ok, ok, ok!” 

If she hadn’t seen it with her own two eye, Hinata would never believe what she was seeing. Her head felt too big and too light at the same time as she watched what she thought was a dog turn into a human. She tries not to faint. 

“Lady Hinata!” Neji releases the boy and runs to his cousin, fanning her with his hand. 

“I’m- I’m okay. I’m alright.” She sits on the ground, taking deep breathes until her mind clears again. “Ok.” 

Neji is by the other young boy’s side again in an instant, his hand gripping the boy’s short brown hair. 

“Ouch! Jeez man, I wasn’t going anywhere!” The boy protests. 

“Why are you here?” 

“I wasn’t trying to do anything bad i swear! Just let me go I promise not to-” 

“Then why did you come here and let Lady Hinata think you were a dog?” Hinata would laugh it the situation wasn’t so bizarre. It is strange that the boy would disguise himself as a dog in the first place, or that he could, for that matter. 

“You’re a princess? That’s so cool!” 

“Answer!” 

The boy winces as Neji tightens his grip again. “Ok! I just like to be in the garden ok! That’s where I met,” he nods in Hinata’s direction, “Lady Hinata, right?” She nods. “I’m usually gone before sundown, I just like to chill out there alright! But I fell asleep and when I woke up I got sort of lost so I snuck my way to the castle instead- I actually got some help from some random guy- and I wanted to see If Hinata could help.” The boy says this all in one breath. 

“Why didn’t you just stay in the garden then?” Neji asks. “There was no need for you to come here- and what is your name?” 

“Oh, right, sorry- Kiba. Kiba Inuzuka.” He smiles and holds out his hand for them to shake, but neither of them takes it. He pulls his hand back and turns back to Neji. “I guess I could have stayed, it sure would’ve been easier. But, like my mom says, hindsight is always way more clear. Plus, I was hungry. Not really a plant guy, y’know? More of a meat and potato-” 

“Shut up.” 

“Ok, sorry.” 

“Well, Neji,” Hinata stands, straightening her gown, “I’m sure...Kiba-?” the boy nods, “didn’t mean any harm. Besides,” she straightens her posture, bracing herself for the objection she knows Neji will give, “he’s my friend-” Kiba smiles at that. 

“You can’t be serious-” 

“-and as a friend-” 

“You thought he was a dog!” 

“-I can’t just leave him stranded here,-” 

“We don’t even know him-” 

“-I’m sure his family’s worried-” 

“King Hiashi is going to be fur-” 

“-and my father doesn’t need to know this ever happened.” 


End file.
